Where next for saving fuel?
Issue: Summer 2009
For the vast majority of operators of commercial vehicles operating at more than 7.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight (GVW) their greatest cost is that of fuel. Analysis of fuel prices over the last 10 years shows a rising trend; added to this is the recent announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer that the fuel duty escalator is back! With wafer-slim profit margins and rising fuel costs, hard pressed vehicle operators will need to constantly improve their fuel efficiency and reduce their fuel costs.
By Dr Michael Coyle
There is a small fuel savings interventions industry, which struggles to convince operators that they have a product or service that can help them to cut their fuel costs. Operators have a healthy sceptism towards such interventions, and there is the nub of the problem. There is a definite lack of scientific, authoritive and independent testing of interventions and their claims, and few operators have the time or enthusiasm for conducting ‘live ‘tests, combined with the application of advanced powerful statistical techniques, to ensure that any improvements are due to the intervention and not other factors. There is, however, a solution available for both operators and intervention suppliers.
We lead a joint project capable of testing all interventions in a highly scientific manner. The process incorporates laboratory or test track testing whichever and whenever appropriate, prior to operators committing resources to ‘live’ testing. The project involves M2 and the Department of Engineering and Technology at the University of Huddersfield plus several fleet operators. Once we get to the ‘live’ testing stage we can manage the data collection and apply the necessary statistical techniques thereby minimising the resources needed to be committed by an operator.
The benefit for intervention suppliers is that if they are considering investing tens of thousands of pounds in their own intervention or a franchised intervention, they can have the intervention evaluated for a lot less and if it is successful be introduced to fleet operators who can have confidence that it is worth taking the time and trouble to test ‘live’.
Engine based interventions, such as oil and fuel additives, can be tested on engine dynamometers, which record a number of emissions such as NOx, unburnt hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide as well as torque, power and fuel consumption, before moving on to either test track or ‘live’ testing or in some cases both. We have also tested aerodynamic aids at the MIRA Proving Ground in both a private capacity and as part of the British Transport Advisory Consortium (BTAC).
Additionally, we have over the years tested interventions ‘live’ using our own purposely designed fuel saving interventions testing system, which incorporates a robust fuel consumption data management programme combined with proven powerful statistical processes to ensure that if we say something works then everyone concerned can have confidence that it does and just as importantly, due to our team members’ many years of experience, give a clear indication as to which vehicles and trailers will benefit and which will not.
Vehicle operators will no doubt be thinking “what’s in it for me?” Well, they will be interested to know that they can join for free, because our income is generated by charging intervention suppliers for the tests, which are completely independent, thereby eliminating the healthy sceptism attached by operators to non-independent testing. Projects undertaken so far have identified savings of 3% to more than 10% and have been free to the operators involved. Furthermore, those operators who are members of the project team will be at the head of the queue for the introduction of proven interventions to the industry.
Dr Michael Coyle is Director of Fuel Efficiency at M2 Training Limited.
For further information, contact Michael on Tel: 01484 647118
or visit: www.m2training.co.uk
Published: 06/07/2009
